I think you're right, Alexandra. Or at least partially right. And it's a slightly different subject...hosts leaving rosy reviews vs guests leaving unfairly crappy ones. But thank you for the feedback.
Perhaps your experience is with 'entire home' rentals, where you may have minimal interactions with guests...possibly never even meeting them...? We have guests in our home, which is a much more intimate experience. It is also different because it selects for well-adjusted people who are willing to or even hoping to share some amount of time and space. They arrive expecting to behave as you would in someone else's home and we have almost entirely really good guests - if they have read the listing.
So I have no experience writing anything but five star reviews...if you saw my piece above...5 stars meaning 90% performance or above. A very few guests got no reviews because of some weird circumstance that I didn't think fit into a review format.
I was reluctant to leave these guests in question a review but on the last possible day, I decided to do so...it was their first airbnb experience. The failure to read the listing was massively discussed and I'm sure will never happen again. I specifically allowed them to have the parties (I had forgotten how late young people can stay up) but that's on me. As much commotion as they created, (it was a big event to ask his girlfriend to marry him), they made a good effort to clean it up. Rescuing the Go Pro?...that was a cool thing my wife did but not something to take stars away for. (All this for a two day rental....we have guests who stay a couple of months.)
So there was not that much to call them on. It probably should have been four stars and I am determined to be more thoughtful about that, but it's very different taking stars off a guest you never met vs one you have invited into your home. In fact, I did tell this story in the only place I could, in the public comments following his review of us.
He should have left a nine star review based on our efforts to accommodate him after his screwup. He failed, in spectacular fashion, to recognize when someone had treated him better than he had any reason to expect. The transaction isn't done until each have fairly reviewed the other and I was seeking solutions to unfair reviews...that is what prompted my post. Possible takeaways from all this, so far:
1. Suzanne302 says there is a blacklist on FB. No good if we don't use it so will check this out. Thank you Suzanne.
2. I suggest we promote the comparison of the star rating system with academic grades as an appropriate way to understand them, and to dispel the notion that five stars requires absolute, unachievable, nirvana-like perfection.
3. Urge Airbnb to educate guests further.
4. What is with people leaving five stars in every category and a lower overall score?...this is particularly galling (he and the next guest did this). On the face of it, this is manifestly unfair and should be changed.